SteelSlide Banishes Hydraulics From Drug Mixer

A drive that raised and lowered mixing bowls in drug-processing labs carried a contamination risk due to its use of hydraulics. So its manufacturer, Vector Corp. in Marion, Iowa, replaced the hydraulics with electric motors and hardened-steel linear slides from Russell T. Gilman, an SKF firm based in Grafton, Wis. The slides are strong enough to support the relatively heavy overhung loads of the mixing bowls. A 5:1 right-angle reducer lets the motor turn at only 1,750 rpm and gives the mixing unit precise speed control.